


Power Trip

by black_tea



Series: Axis Mundi [3]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Murder Mystery, Omegaverse, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!Scully, male!Scully, omega!Mulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-27 19:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8414269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_tea/pseuds/black_tea
Summary: Violent Crimes asks for Mulder's help on a disturbing case bringing him into contact with someone from his past. It's a small world when you want to avoid someone. Meanwhile, Scully finds himself more troubled than expected by the case's gory details. Stressed and battling his instincts, he struggles with turning to his partner for support.
Inspired by Season 2 Episode 13 'Irresistible'





	1. Part 1, Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is very loosely based off the episode 'Irresistible.' The murders are grosser than the TV show. However, nothing is graphically depicted in real time, that's why the rating is M and not E. This story is broken into two parts - I struggled with what to do about that, should I leave is as one story or post it as two separate one? In the end, I did decide to leave it intact, since Part 1 flows directly into Part 2. Most of the rough draft for the entire story is roughed out, but I'm going for once weekly updates to give me a chance to edit everything. Hope you enjoy!

“It looks like we're going to be working on something a little different this time.” Mulder said when Scully arrived that morning. “Someone is asking for a favor. There has been a string of murders, all male alphas, and the police haven't come close to catching the guy.”

“I think I read something about that.” Scully frowned, trying to recall the details.

“You would've read the edited version. There was a lot left out of the papers. It's not pleasant.” 

“OK, who wants the favor? It doesn't sound like an X-File.”

Mulder shrugged. “I know one of the agents is a Patricia Lalond. I've never met her. She hasn't been with Violent Crimes for long, but she's supposed to be very talented. All I really know is that I've been personally asked for. Normally I wouldn't have been so quick to say yes, but whoever's been doing this needs to be caught.”

“The details must be bad then. I assume we're going to have the pleasure of meeting Agent Lalond and her partner soon?”

Mulder nodded. “Any time now. I think I have a pretty decent profile of the killer.” He studied Scully for a moment. “Better prepare yourself for this one. This is the kind of case that can undo experienced guys that have investigated violent crimes for years.”

Before Scully could inquire about the gory details, their office suddenly felt a lot smaller as Mulder opened the door after a sharp knock interrupted their conversation, and they were promptly joined by a man and a woman. Either way, it appeared that Scully would soon have his answers.

The first of the two agents was a black woman who promptly walked over to Scully and introduced herself.“Patricia Lalond,” she said with a warm smile, giving Scully a firm handshake. “It's nice to meet you both.” 

The other was an alpha male, and if there was ever a man to fit the stereotype it would be Jack Howard, as he was introduced by Patricia. He was tall, broad, fit, and very masculine. He carried himself with an easy confidence, or was it arrogance? Scully dismissed that thought from his head as being unfair, since he knew nothing about the man. “Daniel Scully.” He introduced himself politely. 

Howard, however, looked Scully over and promptly seemed to dismiss him. An alpha male determining his potential rival unworthy. “Scully.” He nodded before turning his attention to Mulder. Suddenly his face split into a wide smile.

“Fox Mulder, it is a small world isn't it?” Jack drawled. “And still unmated?” He turned to Scully, looking amused. “Haven't been able to seal the deal, eh?”

Scully stared at him, appalled by the egregious breach of work place etiquette. Jack's partner even looked uncomfortable. That was the kind of language discouraged by workplace discrimination policies everywhere. It also left Scully wondering who this Jack was and how he knew Mulder. He couldn't help notice the stiffness in Mulder's posture as soon as he eyed the man with some surprise. Whether Scully was witnessing shock at the inappropriate behavior, or surprise because Jack was someone he had clearly met before, Scully couldn't tell.

“Jack, I don't think that's really appropriate under the circumstances. Can we focus on the case?” Mulder said, tension clear in the set of his shoulders.

The larger alpha simply shrugged. “If you say so, Fox. This is your turf, lead the way.”

“Mulder, please. Come on, there's a conference room free.”

* * *

Scully took a seat next to Mulder, putting himself across from Patricia and Jack.

“We've found four bodies so far, though the last was from a victim killed prior to the one before. What's more, it's looking like a string of previous murders may have been committed by the same perpetrator. Only now he's escalated.” Patricia began.

Jack's flippant attitude dropped away. “The first murders were also alpha males. There were three bodies found, one a 27 year old, a 36 year old, and the last was 41. They were strangled, no sign of torture or sexual assault. Aside from being alphas, there wasn't a lot to link them together. That was two years ago.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. “Then four months ago bodies began turning up. All adult alpha males under the age of fifty. All were strangled, but the corpses were further abused.”

“This is what didn't make the papers.” Patricia picked up smoothly. “All suffered from genital mutilation, thankfully performed post mortem. There was also sign of sexual assault,” she took a deep breath, “also post mortem.”

“Though who knows if he'll stick to strangling first and chopping off after.” Jack looked a little discomfited, and Scully couldn't blame him. “If he started with just strangling his victims and has now moved to mutilating corpses, what's the next step?”

“Well, it's possible he'll continue as he has. But it's also a possibility he'll become braver. This is most likely about power. He's taking away the power that he believes an alpha male has. But if he's at all squeamish, it'll be a lot easier if they're already dead.” Mulder remarked. “He's had experience handling dead bodies before due to the previous murders, making him more comfortable assaulting a dead victim than a living one.”

“If the genital mutilation and necrophilia is a power thing, could the perpetrator be an omega? There are plenty of omegas that have had bad experiences with alphas. Someone in that position could certainly feel powerless. I'd imagine it would really do a number on someone over time.” Patricia suggested.

“You might think so,” Mulder began, “but it's not as likely a scenario as it may look at first glance. First of all, I'm sure you're aware that alphas, like our lovely Scully here, spend a lot of time fighting the instinct to mate with anything in heat.” Scully coughed quietly and looked vaguely uncomfortable. He would rather not serve as an example of alpha male libido.

“Omegas have a similar sort of problem. Growing up, it took me a lot of time and willpower to learn how to not back down every time an alpha got even the slightest bit aggressive. The desire to submit is hardwired into the brain. Now, you can rewire it, but...”

“Yeah, isn't that the point, though? You're no pushover.” Patricia pointed out.

“Not everyone manages to the same extent, and I'm talking day to day life things like dealing with an office bully or learning how to say no to a pushy date who wants in your pants. Abduction and murder? That requires a lot more aggression, and this is up close and personal. Statistically, murders committed by omegas are more likely to be carried out with a fire arm, because they are either compensating for a size difference, or aren't used to being in the position of aggressor. Now there are exceptions to everything, so I'm not saying it's impossible that it's an omega, but the scenario is unlikely.

The man we're looking for is most likely a beta. Alphas sometimes get held up as being the 'man's man', and furthermore, at least eight out of ten omegas choose alphas as mates over betas, which could possibly lead to some hard feelings.”

Scully looked puzzled. “But betas make up 80% of the population. A male beta would have more choices than an alpha looking to mate with only omegas.”

“True, but there's a lot of unhealthy stereotypes about alphas and omegas, especially when it comes to sex. I'm sure we've all heard them. Getting turned down by a guy who's supposed to be 'easy' in favor of an alpha probably didn't sit well. My guess is this guy is a male beta, is very sensitive about masculine power, and probably hasn't had an easy time getting dates the normal way. He'd need to be in good physical shape to be able to subdue his victims, and that also fits with the need to conform to masculine stereotypes. So he's likely to be mid twenties to thirties. He clearly has the ability to approach either by surprise or he's a good talker who seems harmless. But my guess is he's using surprise.”

“Told you this guy wasn't an omega.” Jack said to Patricia without rancor.

“It would be a lot easier if he _was_ an omega. Our pool of suspects just grew astronomically.”

“He has some method for choosing his victims.” Mulder reminded them. “We just have to figure out what it is. It takes some effort to abduct them. Looking at these photos, these were not small men and all where in their prime.”

“They're from the same part of the city, but it's still a fairly large area. None of them worked close together.”

“Were they mated?” Scully asked, feeling more disturbed by the description of the killings than he would have liked.

“All unmated, thank god.” Jack said. “That's the worst. Having to tell some poor little omega their mate's not coming home.”

Scully wasn't so certain Jack should be describing the entire omega population in the DC area in that way, but he shared the basic sentiment. At least there were no children without fathers. Granted there were still parents without children, siblings without brothers. “So we know the connection isn't through work. They live in the same basic area, but not in the same neighborhoods, and the killer has to know that they don't have mates. It stands to reason that the connection might be through some kind of recreational activity – amateur sports team, a gym, a bar or club.”

“We tried the gym angle. It seemed like a natural, but three didn't have gym memberships and the other two didn't work out at the same place.” Patricia said. “We should make a point of night spots that attract singles. We did look into some when we thought we might be looking for an omega, but they were alpha/omega clubs only.”

“Our killer wouldn't be admitted to someplace like Ouroboros. They have bouncers waiting to send betas on their way. Besides, places like that are just as likely to attract couples as singles.” Mulder studied the nearest photo. “It's also possible the our suspect works in the kind of job that invites conversation, where the victims would readily tell him if they were mated or not.”

“Someone like a bartender.” Patricia mused.

“Or health care worker.” Scully added. 

“We should talk to the friends and relatives of the victims – I know they've already been interviewed, but since we have a better idea of who we're looking for, they might have information that could be of use.”

“We can divide the work.” Patricia smiled, looking more relaxed. “If you can take Tommy Rider, James Derring and Mathew Davis, we'll cover the others.”

“Divide and conquer, I like it.” Mulder smiled.

As the two were were leaving, Jack squeezed Mulder's shoulder. Mulder stiffened at the contact, but Jack didn't seem to notice.“Good to see you again, Fox. It's been too long.” 

“Not long enough.” Mulder murmured under his breath as Jack disappeared out the door.

* * *

“Who is this Jack?” Scully asked as they drove out to interview Tommy Rider's roommate.

“A mistake from a long time ago.” Mulder replied. “Don't worry about it.”

“His behavior was inappropriate.” Scully stated flatly. To say he had an aversion to the alpha would be an understatement. The fact that he blatantly displayed all the supposed alpha traits that Scully disliked combined with his inappropriate touchy feely interaction with Mulder set Scully's teeth on edge.

“That's Jack Howard for you.” Mulder kept his eyes on the road and gave nothing else away. 

Then he smirked slightly, glancing over at his partner. “Don't tell me I'm going to have two alphas battling for supremacy.” This earned a disgusted snort from Scully. “Don't worry about Jack. He's just an annoyance. We get through this case, and he'll be gone. Plus he has Patricia to reign him in.”

They pulled into the parking lot of a rather plain looking brick apartment building. “Rob Durham lives on the second floor, number fifteen.” Mulder said, holding the door for Scully. It wasn't a large building consisting of only three floors. It wasn't exactly in bad shape, but the worn green carpet in the hall was reminiscent of the seventies and the smell of dust was heavy in the air.

A young man opened the door. “This is about Tommy, isn't it?” He opened the door wider to grant them entry.

“I'll help anyway I can, but I already told the police everything I could think of.” He sat down heavily on a beat up arm chair. “Man, we were friends since the fourth grade. I can't believe something like this could happen.”

“Right now we're looking for a connection between the victims.” Mulder said, taking a seat on the torn up sofa. “We know it isn't through work. What did Tommy like to do for fun?”

“He liked to play basketball, just for fun with friends. Nothing official. We used to go for drinks at Dickerson's on Friday nights. It's a sports bar. He was dating a guy off and on – an omega named Chris, but they weren't on at the time he disappeared. Tommy was a nice guy, but commitment scared him. He was outgoing, liked to talk, a huge flirt.”

“It's likely the killer is a beta.” Scully said.

“Oh, then it wouldn't have been anyone he was hitting on. He only dated omegas.”

“When you were out at the bar, did anything unusual happen? Did he talk to anyone you didn't know? Who was the bartender?”

Rob ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. “Not really. We played a game of pool with some guys, but they just seemed like regular guys, you know? I'm not sure I'd even be able to pick them out now. The two people who usually handle the bar on Fridays are women.”

“And basketball?” Scully inquired.

“Just guys from the neighborhood. They're all people we've known for awhile. I can give you their names if you need them, but I can't see them killing anybody.”

“Where did he do his shopping?”

“We got groceries just up the street.”

“OK, thank you, you've been very helpful.” Mulder gave him a smile. “If you think of anything at all, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, contact me here.” He handed Rob a card.

* * *

“What do you think? I'm not seeing similarities here.” Scully sighed. They had just visited the mother of James Derring. “They don't buy food in the same places, they don't share any hobbies, they go to a different doctor, different dentist, and James prefers upscale places to sports bars.”

“I don't know, Scully. The answer has to be here. The victims weren't chosen at random.”

Scully scanned through the reams of notes and other information that had taken over Mulder's desk. If there was something there, some pattern, Scully wasn't seeing it. Being relatively young alpha males wasn't enough to go on. The phone rang, and he let Mulder answer it, engrossed as he was.

“Scully, they found another body, come on.”

Scully was not a squeamish person. He was a medical doctor well accustomed to the human body and its various workings. He also had plenty of experience with dead bodies, some who had died in terribly. Yet, he found himself disturbed in a way he was unaccustomed to. Maybe it was how much he had in common with the victim. They were both male, both alphas, both without mates, both close in age. Then there were the mutilation and sexual aspects of the killing which anyone would find distressing.

He forced himself to push down his feeling of disquiet in order to finish the examination. The man's hands and ankles had been bound, and he had been strangled. There were no defensive wounds, though bruising was evident along one side of the body. The genitals had been removed as in the previous killings. Scully felt a little sick.

There was no skin under the finger nails, nothing to suggest where the body had been before being unceremoniously dumped in a pile of rubble next to a condemned building. There had been nothing in the building itself. He felt no closer to an answer than he had earlier that day in Rob's apartment. Mulder was outside in the hall talking to Jack and Patricia. 

He supposed Jack must have been an ex-boyfriend, but he didn't seem like someone Mulder would favor. _But we all do stupid things when we're young._

Scully finished recording his observations feeling completely wrung out. He didn't know the young man's name. The body had been naked, there was no ID. Somewhere he had family and friends looking for him, or maybe they hadn't realized yet that he was gone. He wearily stripped off his gloves and went to find Mulder. 

As expected he was deep in conversation with Jack, Patricia standing back and leaning against the wall, her face unreadable. He walked up and rested his hand on Mulder's back, finding comfort in physical contact, though the action didn't consciously register. “He's the same as the rest. I couldn't find anything to suggest where he might have been held.”

“We think we know who he is. He matches the picture and description of a Jude Wallace. He was reported missing three days ago by his brother.” Patricia said sadly. “The family will be down soon to ID the body.”

“He hasn't been dead for more than 48 hours. It sounds like he doesn't kill immediately.” Scully dropped his hand from the comforting warmth of his partner, somewhat embarrassed and pushed the hair back from his face. Seeking physical contact from his omega partner was obvious stress induced behavior. He didn't need the others knowing just how much this case disturbed him.

“Damn. I was hoping this time...” Jack swore. 

“Whoever did this cleaned up the body before it was dumped.” 

“So we're back to looking for the connection between the victims. One has to be there. We just haven't found it yet.” Mulder turned to Scully. “You haven't eaten all day. Come on, we'll get some dinner.” He steered Scully down the hall. “Are you OK, you don't look so good.”

“I'm fine. Like you said, it's been awhile since I've eaten.” He mustered a smile he didn't feel. Scully didn't want to dump his problems on Mulder and make working through a bad case even worse than it was. He would just have to deal with this, get through it, and put it behind him.


	2. Part 1 Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully continues to struggle through the investigation. Though progress is finally made, it also places him in a dangerous situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything's on track to continue weekly updates even with several conventions coming up this month. Expect the next chapter either Thursday night or Friday morning.
> 
> I think one of the hardest parts of writing this is keeping the victims straight. I keep having to go back and make sure I didn't contradict myself. Damn serial killer, leaving so many bodies.

Scully firmly resisted the urge to look at the clock on his beside table. He knew it would only make things worse. It felt like he had been laying awake for at least an hour, but it was difficult to tell. He couldn't seem to relax. Every time Scully began to drift off, he'd jerk awake. He considered getting up or perhaps reading for awhile, but couldn't seem to muster up the motivation. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he dropped off to sleep only to have his alarm go off after what felt like mere minutes later. 

Scully readied himself for work, falling into a routine so well worn that not even sleep deprivation could dislodge him from it. He must have looked bad, however, since his sleepless state was immediately commented on.

“You OK, Scully?” Mulder asked. “Didn't sleep well?”

“Not particularly.” He took a sip of coffee and silently blessed whoever it was that had started a fresh pot. “I'll be alright.”

“The latest victim was ID'd as one Jude Wallace, age 29. Worked as a bank teller, unmated, no enemies as far as anyone knows. No obvious connection to the other victims aside from the way he was killed, except--” He looked at Scully again, more closely this time. “Are you sure you're feeling alright? I understand if this case is getting to you. It does hit close to home.”

“I'll be fine, and it's just as close to home for Jack as it is myself.”

Mulder shook his head. “Yes, but, Jack has the sensitivity of a pile of bricks. Trust me, the connection has not made its way to his brain yet.” 

“He's dumping the bodies in different areas too.” Scully said, changing the subject. 

“But not taking a great deal of effort to hide them. He's picking places it would be easy to get rid of a body without being seen, but he's not even attempting to cover them up.”

Scully shuffled through the papers. “What about the original murders? I seem to recall them being better hidden.”

“And you would be right, Scully. They were. I think our killer has been getting braver.”

“You said this victim had no other similarities to the others, except?” Scully reminded him, trying hard to pull his head together.

“Ah, I know I said it would be pointless to go to places like Ourorobos, because they don't allow betas in the door. However, Jude Wallace and Matthew Davis both liked to hang out there. Our killer may not have been allowed in, but it's possible that if they were both regulars, someone might know something. Anyway, I think that's a natural place for the two of us to check out.”

Scully frowned. “Or Jack.” OK, so he was fishing, he couldn't help it. Jack was a troubling mystery that he didn't like hanging over an already difficult case.

Mulder made a dismissive gesture. “Nah, if I'm going to a club, it won't be with Jack.”

Scully studied him shrewdly and with a little concern. “What did he do?”

“It's not important.”

Scully sighed, realizing that pushing wasn't going to get him anywhere. There was a certain irony in the fact that they were clearly both hiding things from each other. “Well, at least there's something we can do. Maybe if the killer is getting braver, he'll also get sloppier about cleaning up the bodies. But that wouldn't do us any good unless there was another victim, and that's the last thing we need.”

Some of the distress must have shown in his face, because a moment later he felt the weight and warmth of Mulder's hand on the back of his neck. “Come on, now should be a good time to talk to the owner since they aren't open for business yet.”

Scully had never actually been in Ourorobos before, clubs not really being his scene. However, he could see why people might like to come here. The bar area was cozy with clusters of comfortable looking chairs that invited conversation. The second, larger room had tables as well as a dance floor and small stage to accommodate a DJ or performer. This was clearly no dive. The owner turned out to be a neatly dressed middle aged omega who had been taking inventory of the bar before Mulder and Scully interrupted him.

He looked carefully at the pictures of the two men. “That one looks familiar, but I can't say I know him. This other one, though,” he pointed to the picture of Jude, “I definitely remember. He would come in with a female omega named Alice – there aren't a lot of females, so she stuck out. They didn't seem to be together, the fella seemed to like other fellas, but they were clearly good friends.” His dark eyes flicked back down to the photographs. “This thing is terrible – what kind of sick fuck does this?”

“You wouldn't happen to know how to contact Alice, would you? Or if you know her last name?” Mulder asked.

He thought for a moment. “Some of our patrons are on our mailing list. We send out fliers for upcoming events, give our regulars first chance at tickets if there's a performance, that kind of thing. Let me check.” He disappeared through a set of doors in the back.

“What do you think of the place, Scully?”

“Nicer than I expected, actually. I can see the attraction – having somewhere to go where you aren't in the minority.”

The owner reappeared brandishing a piece of paper. “You're in luck. Here's her address.”

“Thank you, you've been very helpful Mr. Selby.”

Scully wrapped his coat more tightly around himself as they stepped out into the damp February chill. He hoped Alice had some piece of information, something, anything that would bring them closer. They had a good profile, but aside from the killer's beta status, little else was assured. If only he had been able to find something on that last body.

Alice, it turned out, lived fairly close to the club in a small neat apartment in a building that had seen better days. She was a small woman with dark hair and large dark eyes. Like Tommy's roommate, she seemed unsurprised to see them. “I can't see why anyone would want to hurt Jude. He was such a nice guy. He was always looking out for people.”

“Did he mention having any feelings of being followed? Any strange encounters? The man we're looking for is most likely a beta.”

She shook her head. “No, nothing like that.” 

Alice and Mulder continued to talk, but Scully's gaze was pulled around the room. The lack of sleep was effecting his concentration, and he couldn't afford that. He wearily rubbed his eyes and noticed a small piece of framed art work. Something about it niggled in the back of his mind, skirted around the edges of his thoughts. He tried to grab at it, but it eluded him. He took a few steps over for a closer look.

“Jude drew that. It's a design for one of his tattoos.” Alice said, suddenly right by Scully's shoulder.

“He was a tattoo artist? I thought--”

“No, just a collector, but he designed what he wanted himself.”

That was it, that's what he was trying to think of. Jude did indeed have several tattoos. He had known that from performing the autopsy. However, now that he thought about it, several of the other victims had tattoos as well. “Mulder, how many of the victims were tattooed or had other body modifications?”

* * *

Mulder watched as Scully spread out the photos of the victims. “They all have tattoos. At first I only remembered a couple, because they had a fair number of them, and the others only had one or two. But that's it. That's what they have in common.” Scully stood with a hand on one hip and the other threaded through his hair, staring down at the photos.

“They're also likely to talk to their tattoo artist. If they all went to the same studio, it'll be pretty clear who our guy is.” Mulder agreed. “Alice said Jude went to The Ink Spot. It shouldn't be difficult to find out where these victims went. From the photographs we have, there does seem to be stylistic similarities between the artwork. Look at the line work between these two. Good work, Scully. Pretty soon we'll be back to investigating the unexplained.” And Jack would be out of his life, hopefully for good.

“Hmmm...maybe we'll find out where Elvis is hiding.” Scully deadpanned.

“Oh come on, Scully. It's a well known fact that Elvis is living in Ohio.” Mulder was pleased to hear his partner's attempt at humor. He knew the case was hard on Scully, though he had been trying hard not to show it. Granted, this was the most promising lead they'd had to work with since Jack showed up in his office. Jack and Patricia were busily interviewing the police that worked on the earliest murder cases. That was likely to be a dead end, but it was the kind of thing Jack would gravitate towards. With experience, Patricia would have a successful career with the FBI. Jack, however, lacked imagination, never deviated from what he saw as the tried and true. He had been too comfortable for too long. Either Patricia would push him out of his rut, or he was going to end up hampering her. He silently wished her luck as he followed Scully out the door.

* * *

Scully looked through the portfolios the receptionist had handed them. It was fascinating. Through out the ages humans had sought to modify and decorate their bodies, and it was clearly an impulse that had never subsided. There was no doubt that The Ink Spot was a successful studio who employed capable people. He could also clearly see the differences in style between the different artists who worked there.

“Here's one of Jude's.” Scully recognized the image as the tattoo that graced the last victim's right shoulder.

“We were discussing working it into a larger piece.” A voice from behind Scully said.

He turned to find himself face to face with the artist himself. A beta, a little taller than average, well built, and with plenty of ink of his own. “Agent Scully,” he introduced himself. Mulder continued talking to the receptionist who was looking up the names of the other victims in the computer.

“Ryan Atwater. Jude was one of my best customers. I wondered what happened when he didn't turn up for his appointment yesterday morning.”

Scully frowned slightly. “And what do you think happened, Mr. Atwater.”

“Please, it's Ryan. With everything that's been in the news, when I found out the FBI had turned up here, I just assumed... well, that he may have been the latest victim.” 

Atwater, _Ryan's_ manner seemed properly somber considering the circumstances, and he showed no outward signs of nervousness. Yet, something didn't feel quite right. While it was certainly possible that he had put two and two together, Jude's name hadn't been released to the press yet. Considering the number of people in the city, including alpha males, it was actually a fairly large assumption to make.

“So you're Jude's artist. You wouldn't happen to know if any of these other victims were customers here?” Mulder asked, standing next to Scully.

“Possibly.” He looked through the photographs Mulder showed him. “That one right there I've worked on.” Ryan pointed to Tommy's picture. “Is this guy targeting men with tattoos?”

“We don't know for sure.” Mulder replied, clearly not eager to give away more information than necessary.

“These three aren't customers here.” He rubbed his stubbly chin. Thoughtfully? A nervous tick? A sign of discomfort? Scully wasn't sure. He couldn't easily read his partner, either. Mulder was doing bland quite well. Still, there was something about Atwater... he bothered Scully, and he didn't know why, which bothered him all the more.

“That matches up with The Ink Spot's records.” Mulder agreed. “I'd like you to contact us if you can think of anything that might be pertinent to the investigation.”

“There's something about Atwater I don't like.” Scully admitted as soon as they were out the door.

“I know. There are little mannerisms that suggest he was on the defensive, though he did a pretty good job not showing it. Just not quite good enough. He fits the profile well enough that I'd to do some digging on our artist. Unfortunately, he was right in that three of the victims were not customers there. If he's our suspect, then he would have met them some other way.”

“If we find out where they did go, maybe we'll find some kind of connection. These people and Atwater all share a similar interest.” Scully stared out the window wishing the case would come to a speedy end. If only the other victims had been customers of Atwater, or had at least gone to the same studio. 

“There are a lot of tattoo studios in the city, but the quality of the artwork suggests a more upscale place. That should help narrow things down, and it's possible friends and family can give us the actual name of the artist they went to. No one asked about it before, since it didn't seem important at the time.”

* * *

“I got another one for the Ink Me.” Patricia said, hanging up her phone. Scully was deep in conversation with Tommy Rider's roommate who remembered at least some of Tommy's tattoo related exploits. He finally hung up and turned to the other agents.

“Tommy Rider was a client at The Ink Spot, Body Art, and Ink Me. He could tell me the name of the artist at Body Art – a Neil Shulky. However, he wasn't sure about Ink Me, since he didn't accompany Tommy on his last appointment. I think it's worth taking a look at both places. It seems like the victims didn't necessarily stay with one shop.”

“I'd personally like to take a closer look at Ryan Atwater.” Mulder added.

“I'll drive over to Ink Me, and see if there's any connection.” Scully offered, glad to be doing something that might prove fruitful. It genuinely felt as though the answer was in reach, and that alone helped alleviate some of the stress that had been plaguing him. It was a new day and promised more success than the previous two. Scully had spent another night plagued by disturbing dreams. He couldn't remember any of them clearly, they faded upon waking, but it made for an unpleasant night. 

It was nearly noon, and Ink Me would be opening soon. It was in the same general area as The Ink Spot and Body Art, but without being right on top of each other. They were also close enough to the crime scenes to further bolster the supposition that the the thread connecting the victims and killer was an interest in body modification. He noticed a car in the other lane that for a moment looked familiar, but Scully shrugged it off and turned onto a narrow one way street. Unfortunately, Ink Me's location did not come with much in the way of close parking. It may have been out of the way, but he finally squeezed into a parking spot next to a dumpster. The location seemed to sum up the case so far, and the corner of Scully's mouth twitched up into a small smile at the thought. 

He climbed out, but stopped and turned to lean back inside the car to grab his phone. Suddenly he was hauled out backwards, his head rapping the top of the door hard enough to make his eyes water. Before he could pull himself together to shout, a cloth was jammed into his mouth. Scully tried to struggle, but had been caught off balance. An arm wrapped across his throat, and suddenly he could barely breath, his body jammed up against the car by the larger assailant. He began to grow light headed, his vision graying and his body went limp. In truth, he was only half conscious for a few moments, but it was long enough to find himself thrown on the ground behind the car, pinned down and restrained. The rag was replaced with a strip of duct tape. The next thing Scully knew, he was being tossed unceremoniously in the trunk of a car.


	3. Part 1 Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully finds himself in a terrible situation.

It had all happened so fast and efficiently that there was no doubt in Scully's mind that his abductor had the benefit of practice. This was the man they had been looking for. Scully hadn't gotten a good look at his face, but judging from his size and the tattoos on his forearm, he was positive it was Ryan Atwater. Scully was also positive that he was in serious trouble. He winced as he jounced around, and tried to retain some sense of distance and time. When the car finally stopped, he was roughly hauled out.

Scully squirmed and struggled for all he was worth, but with his hands and feet bound, it did little good. He couldn't even bite or scream. The one time he did manage to wallop his captor awkwardly with his knees, he was backhanded across the face for his trouble. _This can't be happening!_ But it was, and he tried desperately to calm the panic that threatened to well up. If he were to have any chance of survival, he would need a clear head. 

He was being drug unceremoniously down a corridor in what looked to be an abandoned building of some sort – it didn't seem residential, but he had only seen one part of it, and much of his surroundings were dark. It smelled of dust and cold and concrete. They came to a door, and Scully was lifted by the front of his shirt and pressed against the wall.

“You're mine now, little alpha.” His captor's hand reached between them and grabbed him roughly between the legs. Scully felt sick. “Aren't so tough now, are you? You're nothing more than an animal, you all are.”

Scully had never gone through life worrying about being the tough guy, and if anything, made a point to _not_ behave aggressively. Of all the alphas he could have grabbed, Atwater had picked a poor specimen. Scully was relived to be released, but it was only so he could be unceremoniously dumped in a small room and the door shut. At first he couldn't see much, but his eyes began to adjust. There was a small grate up near the ceiling that let in the afternoon light. 

He knew Mulder would realize something was wrong when he didn't show up or attempt to contact him, but would he be found in time? It seemed that the killer held his victims for at least a day or so, but suddenly that didn't seem like very long. A day to live. He didn't want Mulder to find his body dead and mutilated, and oh god, his family. He had to do something.

* * *

“Something's wrong.” Mulder said, voice tight. “Scully should've been back by now. I tried to call him, but there was no answer.”

“Maybe he can't get to the phone easily.” Jack replied, not yet seeing a reason to worry.

Mulder shook his head. “No, this isn't like him. He doesn't just drop off the face of the earth. He should have been back two hours ago.”

Particia hung up the telephone also looking concerned. “I called both Body Art and Ink Me, and Scully never showed up at either location. What's more is the artist over at Ink Spot was telling a fib. He sees some clients over at Ink Me as well, including two more of our victims. He was also supposed to be in several hours ago and never showed. He called in sick.”

“Damn.” His stomach sank to the vicinity of his knees. If Ryan Atwater was trawling for victims, Mulder's cute little alpha partner would easily fit the type – young, alpha, male, no wedding band, attractive. Though he wasn't physically imposing, his choice of career put Scully in a position of power. And to top things off, Scully was the enemy in a very literal sense.

“We need find Ryan Atwater now. Do we have an address?”

* * *

Duct tape was a common form of restraint, but it also had its weaknesses. If he could at least get his hands free... He rolled around trying to right himself and eventually succeeded. He tried bringing his hands up and slamming them downwards while pulling them apart in an effort to rip the tape, but he only succeeded in falling over sideways. Not to be deterred, he commenced wriggling his wrists for all he was worth, trying to unstick them and stretch the tape. His wrists were sore by the time he could feel progress being made. There was definitely a little slack in the binding, so he kept on, focusing on the task at hand to avoid panicking. Finally with a feeling of triumph, he pulled one chafed wrist out and unbound his stiff and trembling arms.

He breathed a huge gulp of air as soon as he pulled off the tape that had been covering his mouth and then hurried to unbind his ankles. The light from the grate was beginning to fade – it had to be near sunset, and Scully had no idea when his captor might reappear. Worse, there was no way he could move quickly at the moment with his leg muscles so stiff and cramped. He moved them carefully, encouraging the blood flow to return to his left limb.

Scully winced as the blood rushed back to his foot. Finally, he carefully stood, glad not to be helpless on the ground. Now if only he had a weapon. The room he was in seemed to be entirely bare of anything but dust and a few dead leaves that had made it through the grate above. It was too high and too small for escape. He considered shouting, but he didn't know where Atwater was. He rested his hand on his hip and felt the belt under his fingers. He quickly unbuckled it and yanked it through the belt loops. As far as weapons went, it wasn't a great one. But it would hurt to be whacked with a metal buckle, and his captor was expecting to find him bound and helpless.

He made his way to the door as quietly as possible brandishing the belt. He carefully tried the handle, but as expected, the door was locked. All he could do was wait.

* * *

“He's not here, but look at this.” Jack said. He was holding a small carved wooden box. He opened the lid to display a pile of driver's licenses. “They're all in here. All the victims we've found so far, as well as two from the previous string of murders.”

Mulder thought rapidly. “Now that we know where his two places of employment lay as well as the most recent dumping grounds, we should be able to figure out the most likely area he's holed up. Aside from today, he's not been missing work, so it's likely he's not transporting his victims far.”

“We have an APB out on his car. Hopefully someone's seen this guy. It helps that he has plenty of distinguishing characteristics.”

“I should have seen it.” Mulder couldn't help but kick himself for not listening to his instincts better, for not realizing the risk Scully had been facing as part of the investigation. “When we were questioning him, even when I was talking to him, he was paying far more attention to Scully. I knew he was lying about something too.”

Jack had the decency to look genuinely concerned now, though Mulder wished he would remove his hand from his shoulder. “We'll find the little guy, and you said it yourself, the connection to Atwater was tenuous at best. It's also not unusual for alphas to command more attention.” 

Mulder shook off Jack's hand in annoyance at such a ridiculous statement. No matter the situation, Jack would be Jack. “I put him right in harms way and didn't even realize it.” 

Jack uttered a low voiced, “Hey,” and took Mulder by the chin. “ _We'll find him.”_

Jack's touch made his skin crawl. It was particularly awful, since it poorly mimicked the kind of gesture that Scully might have engaged in in one of his weaker moments. Only, Scully was never patronizing, just friendly, affectionate. Even when they disagreed, which happened fairly often, it was a disagreement between equals. Mulder sharply pulled away. “That's enough, Jack.” Mulder's voice was sharp.

“Oh, I see. You're still mad? How long has it been now?” It was clear from his tone, his body language and his words that Jack thought Mulder was overreacting. He took a step forward into Mulder's personal space, his voice dropped further. “You were in heat. It was just nature, baby.” 

“Do not call me 'baby.' We need to find my partner _now_ , and you're wasting my time.” He pushed past Jack, annoyed that he was being forced to deal with Jack's ego at the absolute worst possible time. He had been done and over pushy alphas years ago. What mattered now was finding Scully.

He almost ran into Patricia who was speaking intently into a cell phone. She caught his eye and held up a finger to stop him. “Good news,” she said, looking a little relieved. “Scully's car was found. It had been moved out of the way down a side street with the key left in the ignition. There was also a car sighted in that area that matches the description of Atwater's. We should be able to further narrow our search area.”

The air whooshed out of Mulder's lungs. Finally, something positive to work with.

* * *

Scully was poised and ready, had been for how long now? There was no way of telling what time it was exactly, except that most of the light was now gone. Being on constant alert had left him jittery and exhausted, and though he didn't feel hungry – the present circumstances robbing him of appetite- he was incredibly thirsty.

Finally he heard it. At first he thought the combination of stress and straining to listen might be causing him to imagine sounds that weren't there. However, the occasional knock or shuffle resolved into definite footsteps. He tensed, positioning himself in such a way that he would be ready to take advantage of an open door and Atwater's surprise. A key turned in the lock – smoothly, Scully noted. It was strange how many pointless things his brain noticed. He bit back the urge to laugh hysterically and took a deep gulp of air.

The door opened halfway, and Scully lashed out with his belt, aiming for the head of the silhouetted figure who cried out in pain and surprise. Scully didn't wait to see how his captor was going to react, instead he immediately charged at him flinging sharp knees and elbows and effectively knocking the larger man out of the way. If Atwater hadn't been caught off guard, it was doubtful that Scully would have been able to shove right past him. But though smaller, Scully was agile, desperate, and running on pure adrenaline. He caught himself just in time as his momentum combined with the sudden light and his shaky legs almost caused him to tumble. He quickly righted himself and took off, looking frantically for something to use as a weapon.

“You stupid little fuck! Damn animal! Do you really think you're going to get away from me?” Atwater roared in fury.

If Atwater caught him again, Scully knew it would be all over. Considering his rage and humiliation at Scully's escape, his death would likely be much worse than the previous victims. He tried to think rationally about the way out, but he had no way of orienting himself. He thought he remembered having to run back towards the left, since that was where Atwater dragged him in. He heard Atwater scrambling after him, and Scully grabbed a piece of wood. Clutching his impromptu weapon, he didn't dare take the time to look back as the hallway lead to an open space partly cleared of debris. He was almost positive there was an exit through this room. However, a stitch was forming in his side, and his poor abused body wasn't going to be able to outrun Atwater, who had in fact slown down, laughing, a lion following a wounded antelope. To make things worse, there was little light apart from the streetlights outside coming through the high windows around the top of that portion of the building. 

“You're not going to be able to get out that way,” he called after Scully who was stumbling at that point. “Door's locked, and I have the key.”

Scully ignored him. Maybe if he could at least get through the inner door he could hold it against his pursuer. Or he could end up trapped, but he tried not to think of that. He couldn't run forever, and without knowing where the other exits were, it was more than likely he would be caught before he found another way out. Atwater was right behind him as he pushed through a swinging door into a smaller hallway with what would have been an office area on one side and the main door directly ahead. He briefly considered running in that direction in case there was a stairwell or some back exit, but without knowing for sure, he would merely trap himself even further away from the only known exit.

Atwater slowed again. “Go ahead, try the door.”

Scully desperately strained at the door handle as his heart sank and panic began to take over. “Told you. You have more guts than the others, I'll give you that.”

In that moment, Scully knew what his future held, and his heart contracted in his chest. He was also filled with fury. He didn't want to die like that, didn't want to be separated from his loved ones. He swung around and with a yell and clobbered Atwater with the wood he had grabbed earlier.

Atwater swore and staggered back, dazed, blood oozing from a wound in his scalp. Scully swung the wood threateningly again. Atwater seemed to pull himself together, his face contorting in rage, but just as he moved back into range again, the hallway erupted into shouts,

“FBI! Get down on the ground now!” 

Atwater froze for a moment, surprised and unsure. That was all Scully needed to swing again, the wood connecting with the side of Atwater's head. This time the blow sent him to his knees where he was immediately pounced on. The wood, the life saving piece of trash, fell from Scully's fingers as his legs gave out, and he sank to the floor.

Scully jerked in alarm as a hand came to rest on his shoulder. “It's OK, it's me.” 

“Mulder?” Scully turned towards his partner and pressed into him, breathing him in, scenting him in such an obvious way that it would have been embarrassing under any other circumstances. Right then all he knew was that Mulder's familiar warm scent meant that he was really there and the whole ordeal was over. He was dimly aware of Atwater being hauled away and the sounds of voices and footsteps. The building was now an official crime scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm putting this up now, since I have a con this weekend. This ends Part 1 - Part 2 is the aftermath of Scully's experience with Atwater.


	4. Part 2 Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully's ordeal with Atwater may be over, but that doesn't mean he's doing alright. Mulder offers to stay with him, potentially creating further complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the section I had considered splitting off into it's own story, but decided to let it be.
> 
> Also, very quickly, since one reader made their confusion known on the last chapter... yes, Scully is a guy in this, because it's fun for me to write this way. The story is Alternate Universe - things are different here, liberties have been taken, the plot bunnies have been unleashed, you have been warned ; ) But seriously, thanks to all who have given this series a chance, it means a lot.

Scully sat on the edge of the hospital bed waiting for the doctor to release him. He was lucky. His injuries had been confined to contusions and muscle strain. He was also dehydrated and exhausted. The fact that it could have been so much worse was not particularly comforting. He had already given a statement and was now merely in medical limbo.

“It turns out Atwater did tattoo the other victims. He worked part time at a second studio. Your car was found, and Atwater's car was sighted in that area, allowing us to narrow down where he might have taken you. A police officer actually found Atwater's car parked nearby the abandoned building,” Mulder explained.

Scully was glad for the distraction. It was easier to think about Atwater as part of the case they had been working on rather than his abductor. “He had to know he was going to be caught. There was no way we weren't going to find out about his second job.”

“When his car was searched they found some luggage in the back. It looks like he planned on running and misjudged the amount of time he really had. He saw you near Ink Me and realized what was going on, only he decided to grab you instead of doing the smart thing and just taking off.”

Scully tried to think clearly for a moment. “No, he was angry at being caught. It would have been tantamount to suffering another humiliating defeat at the hands of the enemy. His compulsion to kill and humiliate those he perceived as having more power caused him to treat me like any one of his other victims, putting him in a situation where he was more likely to be apprehended.” _He would have been caught no matter what, but would I have even been alive?_ He shoved the thought out of his head as his anxiety spiked again. 

“An astute observation.” Mulder agreed. He studied Scully for a moment before speaking again, his voice gentle. “Are you going to be OK to go home? Do you have family or anyone to stay with?” 

“How do you tell your family that you were nearly a murder victim?” Mulder's hand landed on his shoulder and some of his anxiety ebbed.

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

“You don't have to do that.” _Yes, please, yes._

“I know I don't, and you aren't answering my question.” He pointed out. “I'd feel better if I knew you weren't alone tonight. The doctor would probably prefer it as well.”

“Yes, I would prefer it.” The doctor pushed back the curtain and joined them. “There's no physical reason to keep you here, but I don't like the idea of you being completely on your own, either.”

“See, I'm your get out of jail free card.”

Scully managed to muster a smile at that. “If you don't mind, then yes, I would appreciate the company.”

* * *

The car ride to Scully's was quiet, the smaller man sitting silently in the passenger seat staring at his feet. Mulder swung by his own apartment to grab a change of clothes. When he got back to the car less than ten minutes later, Scully's stress and tension was palpable as he sat hunched over and tense. Mulder reached over without thinking twice to rub his back and kiss his hair.

“You're alright,” he murmured before sitting back and turning the key in the ignition. He knew his decision to foist himself on his partner was the right one. There was no way Scully should be left alone like this.

Scully inhaled deeply. “I'll be OK,” he said wearily. “Thank you for staying with me.”

“It's no problem. Your place is nicer than mine anyway.” 

“What, tired of your sofa?” Scully teased, a weak thread of humor running through his voice. It was a welcome sound to Mulder's ears.

“Nah, but your place does have better company.” And he needed to know that Scully was alright. He didn't like thinking how easily things could have gone wrong. 

“I'm afraid if you're hoping for good conversation, you may end up disappointed.” Scully's hand gently squeezed his upper arm. He let his hand drop and fell silent again, gaze fixed on the dashboard. 

Scully's silence continued the rest of the trip. He swayed slightly as he slowly made his way up the walk. It was a small mercy that at least his keys had been found in the car. Mulder crowded in behind him as Scully opened the door. He didn't question the need to be close – he had almost lost his partner, one of the very few people he truly trusted, maybe the only one. Scully flipped on the light and then stopped partway into the room. He just stood for a long moment absently fiddling with the keys. Suddenly he turned to Mulder.

“I-I, I'm not an animal.” Scully blurted out, his face, his posture everything radiating distress.

“Daniel, of course you're not.” Mulder rubbed his biceps soothingly. “Come here.” He slid his arms around the alpha and pulled him snugly against him. Scully pressed his face into Mulder's neck, body shaking. “It's OK, I've got you.” They stood locked that way for long moments as Scully breathed in Mulder's scent, and Mulder rubbed his back. To say he was furious with Atwater would be an understatement, but being angry wouldn't help. It wasn't what Scully needed. 

Finally Scully stepped back and took a deep breath. “OK, I need to get cleaned up.”

Mulder cupped Scully's face in his hands and pressed his lips to his forehead. “Go take a shower, and I'll order us some food.”

* * *

Scully shuffled into the bathroom feeling weary in both body and spirit. Now that the actual danger had passed, alternate scenarios crowded his mind– what if he hadn't been able to free his hands? What if Mulder hadn't been able to find him? What if he had been instantly over powered when he attempted escape? Rationally he knew that dwelling on these thoughts did no good. He was well and truly safe. But the switch in his brain seemed to be broken, and he couldn't turn them off. He couldn't bring himself to close the door all the way, it reminded him too much of being trapped, so he left it cracked. At this point he didn't much care if Mulder got an eyeful or not. He turned on the water and stripped off his clothes, his shaking hands fumbling with the buttons.

Scully winced as the soap stung his abraded skin, but he was thankful for it's familiar scent. Distantly he could hear Mulder clattering around. He leaned back against the wall and let the hot water pound against his chest, wanting to forget the feeling of being bound and helpless, of Atwater grabbing at him. Scully's shoulders started to shake as sobs began to escape. He sank down till he was sitting in the tub with his knees drawn up to his chest. He lost track of time before realizing he couldn't stay in the shower forever. He finally struggled to his feet and turned off the water. 

He quickly toweled himself off, wrapped it snugly about his waist and pushed open the door.

* * *

“We'll have Chinese soon. I found a place that delivers till eleven, which is now in a mere forty minutes.” Mulder looked up and found himself face to face with a very bruised Scully wearing nothing but a towel.

“That's fine, thanks.” He mustered a smile, then walked over to where Mulder was sitting at the kitchen table. Scully hesitated for a moment, before leaning down and slipping his arms around Mulder's neck and burying his face in his shoulder.

Scully's skin was still warm and pink from the hot water, and he smelt of soap and his own unique pheromone enhanced scent. Mulder wasn't really surprised to find himself with an armful of traumatized alpha. Scully's behavior really wasn't unusual given the circumstances – it was natural comfort seeking behavior that a stressed alpha or omega would engage in with their mate. He doubted Scully even fully realized what he was doing. Mulder's hands gently ghosted over Scully's ribs and back. In truth, he was just as pleased to feel Scully warm and alive against him. Still, the towel was a potential liability. They weren't known for making very secure garments.

Mulder pressed a kiss to one freckled shoulder. “OK, as much as I enjoy naked man hugs, you need to find some clothes.” 

“Hmm? Oh!” Scully quickly straightened up and gripped the towel tightly. “I'm so sorry – I'll just...go get dressed now.” He shuffled stiffly out of the room to reappear just as the food arrived. Mulder had the feeling Scully had been trying to collect himself. Now he was dressed in a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. He also looked a little embarrassed. “I don't even know what I was thinking – half the time I feel like I'm on autopilot.”

Mulder pushed a container of rice towards him. “I told you, don't worry about it.” He paused, considering. This wasn't a story he really wanted to tell but figured Scully ought to know. Maybe it would help. If nothing else, it was illustrative. “Remember the other day when I was explaining instinctive alpha and omega behavior to Patricia, and I used you as an example?”

“Yes, I believe you said something about wanting to mate with anything in heat.” Scully gave him a look and fished a piece of chicken out of the take out box.

“No, I said that you tried very hard not to mate with anything in heat. It wasn't meant to embarrass you, it was a dig at Jack, though it's the kind of thing that would go right over his head.”

Scully was silent for a moment, chewing and considering him. “You are implying that Jack wouldn't have made the attempt. Mulder, what exactly did Jack do? It's clear that you do not like him, and his behavior around you is highly inappropriate.”

“Oh not _completely_ , inappropriate. Jack Howard is a good old boy.” He leaned back and grinned in a way that held very little actual humor. “He's one of those alphas that holds on to the belief that there's nothing wrong with following the call of nature.” Seeing comprehension dawn on Scully's face, he quickly went on. “He would never force himself on someone – he'd be appalled at the thought. He's just not going to bother trying to resist the allure of an omega in heat. I mean, why worry about it? It's just nature, right? The omega couldn't possibly have regrets after the mating frenzy wears off, and anyway, they were literally asking for it.”

Scully set the box of takeout down and folded his arms across his chest. “That's revolting.”

“See, I knew you'd see it my way, which is why I didn't want to talk about it when we all had to work together.”

“He should be reported.”

“For what? It's not illegal to be an asshole. The law has never known how to handle situations like that. It's one thing if an omega is denied their suppressants or held against their will. But that's not what happened. It was the only other time I had issues with my medication. I had switched doctors and there was a screw up with the refills. The irony is that three months later, you could just buy the damn stuff over the counter. I thought I would be OK, that I had a day before I would really start to have problems, and that would be enough time to get everything straightened out. But I misjudged, and it led to a night spent with Jack Howard and a load of regret. I started using a ring for awhile after that to ward off alphas.”

“I'm so sorry that happened to you, and I'm sorry that I--”

“Daniel, you're missing the point. You don't have anything to apologize for, you are nothing like good old Jack. You've just experienced a very traumatic event, and we both know that alphas and omegas seek comfort and safety from their mates in very physical ways. We spend a lot of time together, trust each other, so it's not surprising you would instinctively desire physical contact with me.”

“But at what point do I become like Jack?”

“The fact that you even asked that question proves you're nothing like Jack.” Mulder pointed out. “I've never known you not to act with integrity. You're not hurting me, it's OK to have a moment of weakness. Now eat before you end up face down in the rice.” 

Scully obeyed. Mulder expected that it was more out of weariness than anything else. He had been present when Scully had given his statement, and he tried not to think too hard on the fact that if he had turned down the case, it not being an X-File, none of this would've happened. _But Atwater would still be loose, and how many more people would he have killed before Jack and Patricia figured out they weren't looking for an omega?_

At the point Scully stopped eating in favor of sitting hunched over a takeout box, eyes half closed, Mulder cleared the remains of their very late dinner away. “Come on, there are more comfortable places to sleep than the kitchen table.” 

Scully slowly straightened and slid off the chair and on to his feet. Mulder followed him into the bedroom. Neither one of them had brought up sleeping arrangements, and it felt utterly inconsequential. Besides, Mulder didn't want to leave Scully alone any more than Scully wanted to be left alone, which would be not at all if his behavior all evening was anything to go by. Scully climbed into bed while Mulder stripped down to his shorts. He didn't even feel self conscious about it. The day had managed to put a lot of things into perspective. So he burrowed into the pleasantly Scully scented bedding beside his uncomplaining partner feeling that he could also sleep for a week. And as long as was being unselfconcious...he reached for the smaller man.

* * *

“C'mere little spoon.” Mulder pulled a mostly unresisting Scully against him.

“Mph, Mulder...” he grumbled, more for show than anything, since he promptly relaxed as Mulder molded himself around his body. They fit together perfectly. They seemed to have a way of ending up in bed together, quite innocently, of course, but still. Scully wiggled back against the body behind him so they lay together as flush as possible. He had spent so much of that awful awful day feeling completely alone, and to have that lift allowed him to truly breath again. Mulder's scent mingled with the familiar smell of the bedding and the soap he had showered with. It was kind of sexy and deeply comforting. His eyes fell closed. He was so very tired. Scully didn't think he'd ever been this exhausted before. He finally relaxed and let the feel of Mulder's steady breathing lull him to sleep.

At some point in the wee hours of the morning, Scully jerked awake and for a few sickening moments, had no idea where he was. He felt a hand at his waist, but it was gentle as it soothingly rubbed his hip and belly. “Daniel? It's OK, you're alright.” Mulder mumbled sleepily. Scully inhaled deeply as relief washed over him. He lay back down, rolling over towards his bed mate, heart still racing.

“Didn't mean to wake you.” He whispered raggedly. He shifted closer, wanting to wriggle back under Mulder's arm where everything was warmth and safety. He didn't get an intelligible reply, but found himself nestled back against his partner. He closed his eyes, feeling comfort in the feel of Mulder's skin and the steady heartbeat and breathing. Eventually, sleep took him again.


	5. Part 2 Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scully and Mulder deal with the fallout from Scully's abduction, and Scully is surprised and concerned by his own erratic behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Got it finished just in time to leave for a con tomorrow morning.

When Scully woke again, gray light was sliding through the curtains. He lay still, not knowing exactly how to feel or what to do. Mulder lay pressed against him, his body heat warming Scully's back, and it would have been nice to stay like that for awhile, except that his bladder was starting to make its demands known. Unfortunately, being used to getting up early for work meant that he tended to wake up early even when he didn't have to. Not wanting to disturb his still sleeping bedmate, he carefully extricated himself and padded quietly to the bathroom. He winced at the stiffness in his legs and shivered a little in the early morning chill.

He moved through the bathroom trying not to think too much. Everything felt surreal. It was as if he had been dreaming, but he wasn't sure if yesterday's events had been the dream, and now he was awake, or if this morning was the dream. No, the aches and pains made it clear that none of it had been a dream. He pulled his shirt off over his head to see just how bad the bruising looked. His left hip and shoulder where splotchy from jouncing around in the trunk of the car and from later falling on the concrete. Finger marks marred his shoulder and upper arms from Atwater's rough handling. He had scrapes from trying to right himself on the concrete floor, and his lip was a little swollen on one side from being backhanded. His skin pebbled in the cool air, and he shivered again. Everything felt unreal, and he really didn't want to deal with it right then. 

He thought longingly of his bed where he could burrow under the covers and not have to think for awhile. Even better was the sweet smelling omega curled up there. Scully was suddenly hit by a wave of longing that made his chest hurt. He padded back to the bedroom. Mulder had rolled into the warm spot he had left. He mumbled something unintelligible as Scully crawled back into bad and promptly shimmied up against him. Mulder lifted an arm to let the other man cuddle in close, still seemingly half asleep. Though he came fully awake as Scully completely entangled himself with his partner.

“You're cold.” He commented, though he made no move to push Scully away. “And you lost your shirt.”

“Checking the bruising.” Scully murmured into his neck. The feel of Mulder's bare skin against his own, his warmth, heart beat, the rise and fall of his chest and belly as he breathed flooded Scully with comfort and relief. He pressed his lips to Mulder's neck in a soft lingering kiss, so incredibly grateful that he hadn't had to spend the night alone.

Mulder gently patted his hip before wrapping his arm around the smaller man and returning the embrace. He nuzzled Scully's hair and pulled back a little to plant a kiss on his forehead. That's when the dam finally broke and in a mix of confused feelings and pheromones, Scully just let go.

* * *

Mulder was well aware that they had been behaving like a mated pair since the hospital, and it followed that behaving like a mated pair would eventually encourage mating, or not being in heat, just plain sex. His eyes slid half shut as gentle hands stroked his abdomen, ribs and back. Warm lips pressed against his throat, his chin and finally his lips. Scully's pink tongue teased at their surface, and a shiver of arousal ran through Mulder's belly. He parted his lips, half to breath, half to gasp out his pleasure, and then Scully's tongue was sliding against his own. It was a good kiss, thorough, deep and soft, and he was sorry when it ended, but only until Scully's mouth transfered back down to his neck. The rational part of his brain that wasn't completely caught up in the sensations of his body made a renewed attempt to seize the reigns.

He really should have known better. Not that he was worried that Scully wouldn't stop – as far as alpha's went, Daniel wasn't a pushy one. Rather, it was himself he wasn't so sure about. It was easy to forget how nice, how _right_ being with an alpha felt. Provided that alpha wasn't Jack, of course. It would be oh so easy to let things pass the point of no return. Scully's mouth felt good against his throat, though he was probably going to end up with one hell of a hicky. Scully finished with that particular spot and drug his lips over to the side of Mulder's neck where he found a new place to suck on, this time accompanied by a little pinch of teeth. Mulder was barely able to bite back a moan. His body wanted to arch and press against the alpha above him, to return the caresses. His brain, however, recognized that this wasn't the right time. 

“O-OK, Scully. We should probably stop now.” He firmly pressed his palms against Scully's chest. Scully made a muffled noise in response. “Daniel.” Mulder said more firmly.

The use of his first name seemed to do the trick, because he drew back so he could see Mulder's face. He was flushed, his pupils wide with desire. Mulder thought he looked particularly attractive, bed head and all. Scully blinked and seemed to come back to himself. “You in there?”

He stared at the mark he had made on Mulder's neck. “I didn't mean for things to go that far,” he winced. “I think I left a bruise.”

“I can guarantee you did leave at least one,” Mulder replied. “But that's alright.” He wriggled comfortably back into the mattress, his hand coming up to cup Scully's cheek. “Scully, you aren't OK, but that's fine too. It's OK to not be alright after what happened.” He took a deep breath. “However, if we're going to do the horizontal tango, I would rather us both be present and accounted for.”

Scully closed his eyes and leaned into Mulder's touch for a long moment before pulling away and sitting up with his head in his hands. He stayed that way for a long moment before turning his head slightly to look down at Mulder. When he didn't say anything, Mulder stretched his arm out in a gesture of invitation. “Come here and lay down. I have fifteen more minutes.”

Scully's expression turned skeptical. “Do you really think that's a good idea?”

“It's a brilliant idea, probably one of my better ones.” 

Scully hesitated a moment, then sighed and lay down with his head on Mulder's chest. “Are you sure you trust me right now?”

“You're the only one I trust.” Mulder replied, patting the hand that was resting on his abdomen. It was comfortable just being able to lay there, and Mulder regretted that it was, in fact, a workday.

“I'm going to make an appointment with the psychologist.” Scully suddenly, breaking the silence.

“I think that's a good idea. They'll make you anyway, after what happened.”

“Mmm...” was the only reply he received as Scully began to doze. Predictably that was the point Mulder needed to get up. There was no way of extricating himself from Scully without waking him up. “Sorry.” He whispered as he carefully shifted out from under the other man.

“I should get up anyway.” Scully insisted, still looking tired and pale.

“No you shouldn't. I can find your front door myself.” He gently pushed Scully's shoulders back down against the mattress. “There's no reason for you to get up right now, so sleep awhile longer, make an appointment, and I'll call to check on you later.” They stayed that way for a minute until the tension went out of Scully's body, and he relaxed back down into the bed. Trusting that he would stay there, Mulder went about making himself look presentable. He would have preferred to stay just a little while longer, but he reminded himself that Scully was more than capable of looking after himself .

* * *

Scully heard Mulder leave and pulled the blankets more tightly up about himself. Going back to sleep was a nice idea in theory, but his bed no longer felt so safe and comfortable now that he was alone in it. He could faintly smell Mulder on his pillow, and he buried his face in it. He managed to fall into a light doze before sleep abandoned him altogether, and he pulled himself out of bed. He set into his morning routine, trying to remind himself frequently how nice it was to be home, how good the coffee smelled, that in short, everything was absolutely and completely fine, even if he did feel unmoored.

All things passed. It was the one truth no one could ever escape. In this case, his own sense of helplessness and anxiety would eventually fade just as the event that triggered it receded back in time to be supplanted by many other experiences both positive and negative. He picked up the phone and made an appointment for the next day. He needed to talk to someone who wasn't family and wasn't Mulder. He needed to reassert control over his own impulses and behaviors.

He tried not to think too hard about Mulder's sleep over and the events of that morning. He couldn't help but be more than a little embarrassed at his behavior from hanging on Mulder while wearing nothing but a towel to instigating a make out session that morning. Scully wasn't ashamed of his sexuality and never really had been. It was inherently more difficult growing up as an alpha or omega, because it marked a person out as being different in a way that could be difficult to grapple with as a young person just starting to deal with sexuality. Still even then, he had never resented being an alpha. Being practically on autopilot and foisting his erratic stressed alpha behavior on Mulder bothered him quite a bit, however. 

Granted, Mulder hadn't seemed the least upset about it and had been physically affectionate himself. Did biology encourage something that was already there, or create it given there was fertile ground to work with? He wondered if he should bring this up at his appointment the next day and decided to see how things went.

* * *

“As a medical doctor, I'm used to death and dead bodies. And being an FBI agent means coming face to face with the terrible things that humans are capable of doing to each other. But this case... even before I was abducted,” he shifted uncomfortably, “it was negatively affecting me. I've never had trouble performing autopsies before, but...” Scully's voice trailed off.

“They were unsettling murders.” Dr. Anders gently pointed out.

“I know. To know someone possessed such a hatred of people,” he took a deep breath. “People like me, and that it fueled such unspeakable things. I tried to put is aside the best I could and just do my job. I didn't want my partner to have to deal with my problems.”

“How is your relationship with your partner?”

“Good, I trust him with my life.” 

“Have you spoken to him about this after the fact?” She prodded.

Scully thought for a moment. “N-no, not as such. To be honest, my behavior has not been very together.” He dropped his gaze, again feeling a stab of guilt. “He was kind enough to stay with me the night after I was released from the hospital. I spent most of it clinging to him. It was inappropriate.” He sighed, then added, “my partner is an omega.”

“Oh, I see.” Anders' tone was neither surprised or accusatory. “Since you brought up his status, I assume you are telling me that this behavior had a sexual component?”

Scully nodded. “Yes, though it never lead to actual intercourse. I guess you could say there was a lot of physical affection.”

“And your partner? How did he respond?”

Scully thought back over all the times Mulder had kissed his face and shoulders and held him. “He was affectionate in return.”

“He was worried about you, no?” She sat back. “Daniel, there were two stressed people, one alpha, one omega who know each other well and have positive feelings towards each other, who trust one another. I'm frankly surprised it didn't go further. You seem to have impressive self control. One of my concerns in such a situation would be that the stress and anxiety would trigger actual rutting behavior. I assume you have methods of coping with your impulses.”

“I focus on my breathing and recognize the thoughts and urges and then let them go. They're techniques often utilized in meditation. I've used them since I was a teenager and began having trouble.”

Doctor Anders nodded. “It's good that you've already developed methods for dealing with your instincts and urges. Keep doing that – it seems to be working for you.” She considered him for a moment. “Have you had any previous issues working with your partner?”

Scully shook his head. “None.” It was an honest answer. Barring the time someone had intentionally interfered with Mulder's suppressants, he never felt in danger of doing something truly inappropriate.

“As I'm sure you are already aware, everyone has their own unique chemical signature, if you will. Even if you don't consciously view your partner as your mate, your body is seeing the situation differently than your mind, and that works both ways. Since this hasn't caused rutting behavior, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. The more aware you are of your thoughts and feelings, the less likely you'll be to act on them.”

“Do you believe the biology of alphas and omegas creates mutual attraction and bonding, or that it merely encourages and strengthens feeling that are already there?”

Dr. Anders considered him closely for a moment. “I'm afraid that isn't my area of expertise. I specialize in counseling people who have experienced trauma. However, I have seen enough people in my career to tell you that as unique as your biology is, there has to be something to work with. Chemistry alone won't create a healthy romantic relationship. What do you think?”

“I concur. It's just that...I was born this way and have had to deal with being an alpha since I presented at age thirteen. I've grown so accustomed to it and have all of my methods of coping down to the point that it isn't always fully conscious. Then something like this happens, and it reminds me just how powerful this thing is, and I wonder who is in control.”

“You are.” She smiled at him. “This 'thing' as you called it, is just a part of you. One of the most damaging ideas that society encourages, I'm sorry to say, is that an alpha or omega's instincts are completely outside of their control. With the exception of actual mating, that isn't the case. If it were, the answers to some of the questions I asked you would have been different. You've been through a difficult experience, but you will regain your balance again. It just won't be over night.”

“When can I return to work? Doing something would be more beneficial than sitting at home.”

“I was hoping you'd agree to take some time off. You would be well within your rights to do so.” She sighed. “You can go back to work, but I'm not clearing you for field duty. We'll revisit that after your appointment next week.”

Scully nodded, finding the compromise acceptable. “Considering everything that happened, I didn't expect to spend so much time discussing my partner,” he frowned, unsure as to what that might mean.

“I'm not too surprised. The experience led to behavior you weren't expecting. Most people would find that unsettling. My suggestion would be talk to him about it, if you feel comfortable doing so. And I will see you same time next week.”

* * * 

When Mulder walked into his basement domain, it was to find someone rifling through the file cabinet. He immediately identified that someone by their scent as being Scully. It gave him a moment's pause. He couldn't remember noticing anyone's scent that quickly before. He pushed that thought from his mind, since the most immediate concern was that his recently traumatized partner was back at work after only a few days.

“I didn't expect to see you back this soon.”

“I would rather be working than sitting at home dwelling on everything that happened. I'm not cleared for field work yet, though.” He replied without looking up. “There's a new case, and I was trying to see if we had anything similar. 

“Are you sure you're ready to be back?” 

This time Scully stood up and turned to face him. “I'm ready. Though I may come to regret saying that. It seems like there have been reports of a strange animal or entity of some sort that's been living in the sewers. It comes out after it rains and according to the file,” he nodded to the folder on Mulder's desk. “It carries away small pets and damages property. One man claims to have been chased by it.”

“Sounds fascinating.” What was equally if not more fascinating was the way Scully looked at him from under his lashes. He resisted the urge to touch his cheek.

“I wanted to thank you for being so understanding.” He reached out to briefly squeeze Mulder's hand.

“Your assistance with the local sewer monster is thanks enough.”

“Did I mention it ran off with a woman's laundry?”

“No you did not.”

“And broke through a wooden privacy fence?”

“Even better."


End file.
